This invention relates to reinforcing articles, and in particular to multilayer textile reinforcement webs.
Uni-directional and multi-directional textile webs have proven themselves particularly as outstanding reinforcements. Currently manufactured textile webs, comprised of parallel oriented fiber bundles, are available only in limited web widths. The possible applications are, however, limited when large parts must be fabricated (especially with the use of glass fibers) for example, in railcars, marine vessels, or in buildings, especially facades and roofs. The largest possible web widths are desired by web users, for example, in construction applications, in order to minimize costs and obtain maximum total strength over large surfaces without the use of butt joints.
The most significant drawbacks of limited reinforcement web width are: (i) the inevitable occurrence of gaps between adjacent webs that prevent a consistently strong connection, and (ii) the presence of large amounts of heavy, strength-reducing bonding (resin matrix) materials. To be sure, various reinforcement mats, e.g., non-woven fabrics, can achieve desired widths. However, tensile and breaking strength is very limited, making such mats usable only in large thicknesses. Only the addition of parallel oriented fibers makes possible high strength in such textile mats and the parts produced from these textile mats.